Alone
by Starreacher
Summary: Duo went on a mission, and Hilde hasn't heard from him since. Short fluff with Duo and Hilde. Mention of 1xR. Please R&R!


I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. Damn.

A/N: By now, you've probably guessed that Duo and Hilde are my favourite Gundam Wing Pairing, but only by a little bit! I am a huge fan of the romantic stories between the characters, and I apologise if you don't agree, but I write these for my pleasure as much as anyone elses so there lol! Enjoy!

Hilde opened her eyes to bright sunlight. Wincing, she rolled over and instinctively curled her arm out across the other side of the bed. Opening her eyes again and lifting her head slightly, she stared at the mattress and pillow where another body should have rested. Sighing, she rolled onto her back and passed a hand across her eyes.

"Another dawn, another day." She groaned as she heaved herself out of bed. Checking her diary, she inwardly collapsed at the sight of an imminent meeting with her bank manager. Her vid-phone beeped.

"Morning Hilde." Hilde's best friend, Relena Darlian smiled at her as she pinned up her hair.

"Morning Lena." Hilde yawned.

"How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby."

"Liar." Hilde grimaced. Relena could see through a lie like no-one else she knew, except maybe – but she wasn't going to think about that. It hurt too much.

"You should think about sleeping aids." Relena was saying.

"Huh?" Hilde grunted groggily as she pulled her smart black trousers from the wardrobe.

"I said, I'm worried about you. If you're losing sleep, you should think about aids. Pills or drops or something."

"I don't need drugs, Lena."

"I didn't say drugs. There are completely drug free homeopathic remedies that you can use."

"No Lena." Relena sighed as she realised that this was a fight she was never going to win. "How's Heero?" Hilde asked, trying to steer the conversation away from herself.

"Fine. He thinks that by being my bodyguard, he can distance himself from me, but I'm working on it." Hilde laughed, and Relena broke into a smile. "That's better, it's good to hear you laugh. What are you doing today?"

"I have a meeting at ten, and then I need to tidy the yard, things are getting out of hand with no D-" Hilde stopped, a pain lancing through her heart. Relena's eyes filled with pity.

"He will come back, Hilde." Hilde looked at her.

"It's been a month since he went on that mission for the Preventers, Lena. It should have taken a week. I miss him." She whispered, and the tears fell silently. Relena gazed at her friend.

"Heero is trying to find out what happened. I'm sure the mission is just taking a little longer than expected, that's all. He will be back in your arms soon, I'm sure of it." Hilde laughed, a hollow sound that held no warmth.

"You've been saying that for a month." Relena smiled wanly.

"And I still believe it." Hilde returned her smile weakly. "Right, I have to go. I have a conference to attend. You going to be ok?"

"Yeah." Hilde nodded as she sat down to brush her hair in front of the phone. She adjusted the lie of her top and looked at Relena.

"Ok, well have a good day. I'll ring you tonight, and we can have a proper talk then, ok? Keep your chin up, and if you need me, I'm here."

"I know, thanks Lena. Now get going, you're going to be late!" Hilde grinned.

"Ok, ok, I'm going!" Relena grinned as Heero appeared through the door behind her. Relena glanced at him then turned back to the screen. "Uh oh, here comes Mr Happiness himself." She muttered, and Hilde giggled.

"Have a good day Lena." She said. Relena threw her a casual wave and the vid-phone switched off. Hilde sighed and looked longingly at the bed, then made her way down the corridor to the kitchen.

She had an unhurried breakfast, looking through the papers that she had to take to the meeting, then caught the bus into the town centre and arrived at the bank at ten minutes to ten. She stared at the huge glass doors and wondered how a building so innocuous could be so terrifying. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the doors.

An hour later, she left the bank, rattled and worried. The bank manager's words rang in her ears.

"I'm sorry Miss Schbeiker, but if the loans are not paid, the bank will have to seize your property." Hilde's mind was reeling. There was no way she could come up with twenty five thousand credits. It just wasn't possible in a week.

She went home in a daze, her feet methodically plodding along the pavement for seven miles before turning into her yard. The slowly rusting metal was piled haphazardly, mounting higher than a truck, and Hilde's shoulders slumped as she realised that she would have to do something soon. She trudged into the house, changed into her overalls, and began a long afternoons work.

Seven hours later, the hard work had paid off. The yard looked tidier, and Hilde had even managed to make a few sales. She grimaced as her back ached, and decided that it was enough for the night. She locked the yard gates, then headed inside for a long bubble bath. As she reached her bedroom, she noticed that her vid-phone was beeping, a recorded message that was waiting for her. She flicked the switch as she went to run her bath, and Relena's face appeared.

"Hey Hilde! I know I said I'd ring you, but I'm afraid this conference is going to go on for a while. Old men who keep arguing about matters of no consequence and all that. Anyway, you're probably bogged down working in the yard and have forgotten to eat, again! Get some dinner! Ok, so take care, and I'll call you soon, yeah? Bye!" The screen went blank, and Hilde climbed into the bath. The warm water soothed her aching muscles, and she leant her head back and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the water was cold, and the steam had gone from the mirror.

"Damn." She muttered, clambering out of the now tepid water. Shivering, she rubbed herself down briskly and tried to rub some heat into her chilled body. She dressed in her warmest flannel pyjamas and her thick woollen socks, then threw a hoodie on for good measure. Shuffling to the kitchen, she made a hot chocolate and a plate of chicken noodles and settled down in front of the late night movie. It was some sap about a man trying to save his daughter from the hands of evil kidnappers, who were going to strap her to a rocket or something. Utterly ridiculous and completely stupid, it was the type of thing Duo would watch, and Hilde used to love watching them with him, snuggled up on the sofa late at night. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it, then lay down on the sofa. A tear glistened in her eye like a single diamond.

"Duo." She whispered, and the tear rolled down her cheek. She stiffened as a warm hand stroked it away, and slowly reached for a gun that she kept under the sofa cushions.

"Don't cry Hilde babes." A voice that she never thought she would hear again murmured, and the sound washed around her. She dared to look over her shoulder and was faced with the familiar sight of a man dressed all in black, with violet eyes that gazed at her with love and tenderness.

"Duo?" She murmured, not quite believing that he stood before her. He smiled, and she felt love and heat wash over her. "DUO!" She cried, then flew off the sofa and into his waiting arms. Duo laughed and spun her round, savouring the feel of her against him and the smell of her bubble bath.

"I'm sorry it took so long. Damn I missed you Hil." Duo muttered in her hair.

"I missed you too." She whispered, her face buried in his neck. He swept his arm under her legs and lifted her like a feather, then carried her back to the sofa. He lay down and she lay in front of him, snuggled against his warm body. His arm curled possessively around her swelling tummy, and their twin gold rings glinted in the lamp light.


End file.
